The present invention relates to a method and machine or apparatus for clamping plates or tags on fabric and leather pieces.
The field of the invention is that of those plates, usually made of a metal material, which, for ornamental purposes, are clamped or fixed on an exposed to the view surface of a sheet material, such as fabric, leather and the like materials for making garments, leather goods, and other fittings in the fashion and the like industry.
More specifically, the plates or tags the invention is related to comprise a set of letters of other objects and signs having different geometrical configurations or patterns, and made of a metal material, such as a zinc, aluminium and magnesium alloy, so-called “ZAMA”, and clamped to the fabric material.
An example of the above plates or tags comprises a plurality of letters or other geometrical patterns, so assembled as to form a single rigid body.
Said prior plates have the advantage of preserving their original geometrical pattern, but the drawback of exposing to the view the bar or frame elements holding the plate parts, such as said letters, joined with one another for providing a single rigid plate body.
To overcome this drawback, it is also known to use temporary plates, the so-called “pre-plates”, including coupling means for coupling the plate parts, which coupling means, however, must be removed after having clamped the plates to a desired sheet or fabric piece, said pre-plates also including an outer support element, in the form of a frame, to which the outer edge portions of the letters are temporarily anchored.
This frame support, in turn, has the drawback that, after having removed the letters therefrom, a portion of the fabric surface, usually damaged by the frame removal process, together with the letter damaged parts remain exposed to the view.
Moreover, metal letters tend to release, because of the chemical agents used for washing or processing leather and fabric materials, substances which may stain or alter the original aesthetic aspect of the plate coupled fabric.